Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Missy

8 Years Later

My eyes were sharp as I scanned the forest for any hidden dangers. Seeing nothing, I took a sniff of the air before cautiously creeping out of Kate and I's nest. I especially kept my eyes peeled for those horrid black beasts or any of their disgusting crawler caterpillars. Sensing that the forest was clear, I turned and entered the nest. I chirped softly as I nudged Kate with my nose. She stirred, stretching as her eyes slowly peeled open. She hummed in greeting as her eyes met mine. I nudged her again.

"The sun is rising."

That was all it took for her to be up and moving. She stood up and walked towards the exit, scanning the forest for any dangers before she took to the air. I immediately followed her and we flew towards our usual spot.

As soon as the sun touched the horizon, we felt the pull. The urge to dance and sing for the sun was blood deep. No one could resist. Kate and I stretched our necks and started singing softly. After the first verse of our song, we took to the air and danced. The sound of our chirps, whistles, and hums pierced the air as we showed our appreciation to the morning sun. Every morning, we did this, and we never tired of it. My heart filled with joy as I twirled in the air, releasing a sharp whistle. Despite us being out here in this dangerous forest all alone, the morning song made us forget our problems.

We landed on the very edge of the cliff, our wings fully outstretched and our necks held high. A low hum left us as our dance came to an end. We stood there a minute longer, soaking in the warmth of the sun before we started our day.

Despite the Morning Song cleansing my heart, it was still saddening that Kate and I only had each other to sing it with. When I was shot out of the sky, Kate had rushed to my side to help me. During that time, we were separated from the other Dragonets. We had no idea where they were, and it was too dangerous for the both of us to go looking for them. The forest was filled with dangerous creatures and we hadn't had the first clue as to where to look.

I scanned the forest again before I flew to our nest and grabbed a basket Kate and I made out of vines. As usual, I flew to the pond to catch some crayfish and pick some fruits while Kate went in search of some herbs and firewood.

We did this every day and had been doing it since we escaped from that wretched facility. That day had been horrible. I uncurled my left wing, my eyes looking over the scar the bullet had left. When I'd first been shot, the pain had been immense, so immense I'd slept for days. Kate had been by my side every step of the way, dressing my wound with leaves and any herbs she could find.

As soon as I woke, I was immediately greeted with a world I was unfamiliar with. White Aliens from a distant planet had successfully claimed the Earth as their turf. With their murderous yellow light, they annihilated every single human on the planet. It was devastating. Billions of humans were wiped out in a few days. It was as if we'd never been here in the first place. Next to go were the cities it'd took years to build. Hundreds of years of human history were destroyed. The White Aliens cleansed the earth of everything the humans had ever built. A month later, there was nothing left that spoke of the true inhabitants of this world. If it wasn't for my memories, I would have thought humans never existed in the first place.

Despite never having seen the foreign species or hearing the language of the White Aliens, we understood every single word they spoke. It was unsettling, but I blamed it on my new body. Back in the facility, I'd learned that our bodies were created using ancient DNA from Area 51, so I chalked it up to that and never thought about it again.

Surprisingly, the White Aliens didn't inhabit the Earth long before another race known as the Kymari wiped the Earth clean of them. I'm a little embarrassed to say that I enjoyed watching those parasites be annihilated. Just like they killed the humans, they were killed by the Kymari. I guess karma even applies to aliens.

It had been years since then, and the Kymari had now fully established themselves on Earth. Just like with the White Aliens, I knew and understood more about the Kymari than a reptile should know. I understood their language and their species well. The Kymari were very peaceful and respected the Earth more than the humans or the White Aliens did. Although peaceful, they were also known to kick ass if anyone crossed them. I knew very well not to get on their bad side. Some of the animals that were native to earth paid the ultimate price for messing with a Kymari. The price they paid was extinction. Despite no longer being a human, I still did not want to die.

The basket I'd carried here had quickly filled up with crayfish I'd managed to catch. I also threw in some fruit and some herbs. A sharp whistle from Kate told me that she was back at the nest. I raised my ear tuffs as I scanned the forest again. The coast was clear. Picking up my basket, I took to the air, flying carefully as to not drop anything.

I met Kate back at the fire pit we'd built for cooking. Yes, we were lizards who loved cooking crayfish!

Upon seeing my green companion, I thrilled in greeting and swooped down, placing the basket carefully on the ground. I turned towards the fire pit, my eyes landing on our most prized possession. The pot. I grinned as I remembered Kate and me stealing this baby from one of the many markets the Kymari managed. That day was both nerve-wracking and super fun. The poor female Kymari's face at her missing pot was hilarious.

"Adding the water!" Kate cried.

She hovered over the metal pot with another basket of ours. Using her hands, she tilted the basket and I watched with a gleeful expression. Despite eating crayfish every day, it never got old. Kate and I loved cooking the little critters. As she poured in the water, I busied myself by adding the herbs we cooked with as well as some lemon slices.

"Adding the herbs!" I announced.

I hummed happily as I dropped the spices into the water. I loved the smell of them. When the pot was filled with our favorite spices, Kate and I dropped the crayfish one by one into the pot. When that was done, Kate and I grabbed the pot covering we'd made and placed it over the top. Kate and I looked at each other, both of our eyes shining with excitement.

We both took a deep breath before blowing our fire on the wood that surrounded the pot. The crackling sound of the burning wood immediately filled the air.

We both sat back and waited. It wasn't long before the glorious smell filled the air. I chirped excitedly. Kate snickered as she bumped my shoulder.

"Calm down, we still have to wait about 5 minutes."

Grumbling, I sat on my haunches and watched. Exactly five minutes later, Kate and I approached the fire and stomped it out. Usually, we wouldn't be able to do this as the intense heat would have burned us, but as dragonets, we could. The fire licked at our scales, but it didn't hurt at all. We could feel the heat, but it didn't cause us any pain. I was grateful for that. When the fire was out, we removed the pot cover. I whistled slowly as the glorious steam and the smell of the cooked crayfish surrounded me.

"This is our best batch yet!" I chirped.

"You say that about every pot of crayfish we cook," Kate replied.

I shrugged before looking down into the pot.

"Let's dig in!"

Well into our feast, Kate and I caught the smell of the Kymari. I whipped my head around and hissed fiercely at the male Kymari who was staring at us with wide blue eyes.

"I didn't know fire-lizards could cook."

I didn't waste any time launching myself into the air and flying towards him with my sharp claws at the ready. He knew. He knew we were more than just animals. I could feel my heart thumping in fear, but I refused to show it.

"Get your ass on the ground!" I shouted into the Kymari's mind. I had my flame ready to fry him if he tried any funny business. The Kymari man lay on the ground and I landed on his back. He held his hands out in surrender.

"I mean you no harm!"

"Shut your Kymari mouth!" I seethed.

I looked up to meet Kate who was hovering above us. My eyes asked the question we were both thinking.

What do we do now?!

_Gieo_